Acupuncture News

Laughter and music not only lift the mood, they might also drop blood pressure among middle-aged adults, a new study suggests. Japanese researchers divided 79 adults, aged 40 to 74, into three groups, studying the effects of one-hour music sessions every two weeks on one group, laughter sessions on another group, and no intervention for the remaining participants the control group . Blood pressure readings taken immediately after the sessions were 6 mm Hg ...

If you re looking to lose those extra pounds, you should probably add reducing stress and getting the right amount of sleep to the list, say researchers from Kaiser Permanente s Center for Health Research in Portland. In fact, although diet and exercise are the usual prescription for dropping pounds, high stress and too little sleep or too much of it can hinder weight loss even when people are on a diet, the researchers report. We found that people who got ...

When used in tandem with standard Western treatments, alternative therapies such as acupuncture, acupressure and dietary changes may spell significant relief for patients battling chronic sinusitis, a new pilot study suggests. The authors say that their study is the first to explore the potential of combining Western medicine with Eastern therapies among these patients, who experience swollen and inflamed sinuses, facial pain, headaches and impaired breath ...

Aromatherapy is beginning to enter the medical mainstream, with groups as diverse as the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs touting the use of fragrance as a therapy that can complement traditional health care. There s little evidence to suggest that aromatherapy can directly cure illness, but research has found it can help reduce a wide range of symptoms and side effects in some people. Many specific ailments can benefit f ...

People who want to learn to meditate should select a method that makes them feel comfortable, rather than choose a technique just because it s popular, a new study indicates. Researchers from San Francisco State University report that by finding a form of meditation that works for them, people are less likely to quit. As a result, they will enjoy the personal and medical benefits of the practice, including reduced stress, lower blood pressure and help with ...

For men, adding more inches to the waistline could mean trouble in the bedroom, a new study finds. Obese men not only raise their risk for heart disease and metabolic disorders, but they may also boost their odds for sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers from New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York City. The findings demonstrate that obesity in men -- part of a growing global epidemic -- affects their w ...

Children who are picked on by their peers or are abused or mistreated in other areas of their lives are more likely to think about killing themselves, a new study reveals. And the more areas of their lives in which they are victimized, the higher their risk. The new findings, which appear online Oct. 22 in the journal Archives of Pediatrics amp Adolescent Medicine , provide a disturbing snapshot of the consequences of bullying and other forms of youth vict ...

Children who have the skin condition psoriasis are about twice as likely to be either overweight or obese as kids without the skin problem, according to new research that looked at children from nine countries. When researchers looked at just obesity, they found those with the skin condition were four times as likely to be obese, said Dr. Amy Paller, a professor and chair of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who led the st ...

Seven healthy lifestyle tips recommended by heart experts reduce not only the risk of heart disease but also cancer, a new study finds. Adopting all seven of the factors from the American Heart Association can reduce the risk of developing cancer by more than 50 percent. Moreover, the benefits are cumulative, with cancer risk declining with each additional recommendation followed, the researchers said. These findings aren t surprising, given that many elem ...

For the more than 3 million Americans living with traumatic brain injury, there is often an unspoken problem Many suffer from sexual dysfunction, something that is easily overlooked as patients struggle with overwhelming physical and emotional issues that can last for years, new research has found. The sexual difficulties usually become most apparent about six months after the injury and, if left unaddressed, worsen with time, said study author Jhon Alexan ...

Estrogen treatment delivered vaginally may help prevent repeat urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women, new laboratory research suggests. Urinary tract infections are common among women, with one-quarter experiencing recurring infections. And age-related changes increase the likelihood of these infections developing after menopause, when estrogen production plummets. Until now, taking antibiotics prophylactically -- to ward off recurrent urinary t ...

Nearly 3.3 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through the state and federal marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration announced Wednesday. About 25 percent of those who have selected a health plan are young adults, aged 18 to 34. That demographic has been considered crucial to the success of the health reform law, often called Obamacare, because young people help offset the cost of covering older, sicker i ...